(USNewsBreak.com) – When the US Supreme Court handed down its ruling in the 2022 New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen case, it set the framework for other federal courts to rule on gun laws in the nation. Several states have used it to declare gun legislation unlawful. Minnesota is the most recent to do so.
On Tuesday, July 16, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled in favor of three plaintiffs and activist groups when it declared a Minnesota gun law unconstitutional. The legislation prohibited public carry for gun owners between the ages of 18 and 20. It was previously struck down by US District Judge Katherine Menendez in March 2023, but she granted an emergency stay keeping the ban in place until the state could appeal. This decision effectively reverses the age ban that Minnesota put in place more than 20 years ago, in 2003.
A federal appeals court ruled a Minnesota law requiring a person to be at least 21 years old before obtaining a permit to carry a handgun in public for self-defense is unconstitutional https://t.co/HvjA7ANfEN pic.twitter.com/0TKGfFI7yJ
— Reuters Legal (@ReutersLegal) July 16, 2024
The Eighth Circuit court cited both the Bruen case, which stated Americans had the right to carry guns in public for protection, and United States v. Rahimi in its ruling. It upheld a federal court’s decision that all adults in the state, per the Second Amendment, have the right to bear arms. The state had tried to argue that crime statistics show it’s a safety concern. The three-judge panel on the court disagreed.
Attorney General Keith Ellison expressed his disappointment in the court’s decision and said the SCOTUS decision in Bruen “open[ed] the floodgates to litigation from gun advocacy groups looking to undo reasonable safety legislation.”
Rob Doar of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said gun owners between 18 and 20 should apply for carry permits effective immediately, as long as they meet the requirements. However, until the appeals process is complete, they won’t be able to.
It’s not clear how the state plans to move forward with the matter just yet.
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